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Japan is planning to announce a massive purchase of fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft next month in response to Beijing's military buildup, Japanese media reported Tuesday.

Japan will buy 100 F-35s in a deal worth nearly $9 billion, according to reports. The Japanese government will formally approve and make public the decision to buy more F-35s in mid-December, Nikkei Asian Review reported, citing sources.

Japan has so far signed on to buy 42 F-35 aircraft. Japan has about 200 aging F-15s, and up to 100 of these aircraft cannot be modernized. The plan is to buy F-35s to replace the F-15s that cannot be enhanced. The remaining F-15s will be improved and remain deployed for service.

All of the F-35s Japan has agreed to procure until now were F-35A conventional takeoff variants. While it remains to be seen what the exact composition of the next F-35 order will look like, the Nikkei Asian Review confirmed that Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force is retrofitting the JS Izumo helicopter carrier in order to accommodate the short-takeoff vertical lift F-35B.

In addition to China's rapidly expanding naval capabilities, Beijing's stealthy J-20 deployed in February, and some experts expect the Chinese arsenal of stealthy fifth-generation jets to reach 250 by 2030.

In what will probably become fodder for US President Donald Trump to boast about, the Japanese move is considered a nod to Trump's sales pitch for countries to buy American military equipment, Nikkei Asian Review noted. Two months ago, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told his American counterpart that "introducing high-performance equipment, including American [material], is important for our country to strengthen its defense capabilities."

Trump has called for Tokyo to buy more American products to relieve the trade imbalance between the two countries. Trump was reported to have eagerly cast his gaze upon Tokyo as the target of a new trade fight in September, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal. The reported $9 billion purchase of high-tech aircraft would put a significant dent in Washington's trade deficit with Tokyo, which has reached $50 billion in 2018, according to the US Census Bureau

Japan is to acquire at least one aircraft carrier for the first time since the second world war, as it attempts to counter Chinese maritime expansion in the Pacific ocean.

The government will upgrade its two existing Izumo-class helicopter carriers so they can transport and launch fighter jets, according to media reports. The plans are expected to be included in new defence guidelines due to be released next month.

This week the Nikkei business paper reported that Japan was poised to buy 100 F-35 stealth jets from the US at a cost of more than US$8.8bn, a year after Donald Trump urged Tokyo to buy more US-made military equipment.

The reported order is in addition to 42 F-35 jets it has already bought from the US.

On Nov. 30, 2018, during the media day of TLP 18-4 currently underway at Amendola, in southeastern Italy (the first iteration of the course to integrate 4th and 5th Gen. aircraft), the Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force, ItAF) declared Initial Operating Capability with the F-35A Lightning II.

ItAF Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Alberto Rosso broke the news:

“Today is an important day for the Italian Air force. With the Initial Operational Capability we are the first in Europe to achieve a real operational capability with a 5th generation aircraft: it means we reached the capability with multiple aircraft, we have crews properly trained to operate the platform and a long term maintenance and logistic support”. Indeed, the IOC certifies that the first Italian unit, the 13° Gruppo (Squadron), belonging to the 32° Stormo (Wing) based at Amendola, is ready for allied operations.